Lampard and Becks on why Heskey's retirement is great news!

[Finnegan]

Having a conversation/debate about Emile Heskey with someone is the easiest way to tell if someones from Leicester.

^ Milktray.

Don't think that's necessarily true, I was never a massive Heskey fan even when he was here.

Not really Heskey's fault he gets picked for England.

He turns up and gives it 100% to be fair to the lad which is more than can be said for the rest of your shambles. Spoof on not, from the outside looking in it's pretty cringeworthy to watch masses of England fans round on the few people out there that actually put a shift in.

[dandannieldanok]

Having a conversation/debate about Emile Heskey with someone is the easiest way to tell how much they really know about or understand football.

Depends how you view the game of football. And also as Samilktray put it, whether you're from Leicester and have developed overblown love of the guy because he donated a week's wages to the cause of Leicester City and played very very well for the club over a decade ago.

He turns up and gives it 100% to be fair to the lad which is more than can be said for the rest of your shambles. Spoof on not, from the outside looking in it's pretty cringeworthy to watch masses of England fans round on the few people out there that actually put a shift in.

Does he though? Can't say I've ever seen Emile Heskey bust a gut to do anything in the last few years. Seems to me personally to be another common misconception about the guy, the other big one being that he wins every ball in the air.

[sdb]

not sure Capello/Sven/Bruce/O'Neill/Houllier et al are Leicester born and bred.

If it was a Leicester bias we'd be begging for Levi Porter and Ashley Chambers to start at Selhurt Park in 2 weeks time right?! Or for Rich Stearman and Joe Mattock to fill the full back roles in Brazil 2014.

If strikers are simply goalscorers, then Heskey's pretty poor. But then no one can say Ashley Cole or John Terry etc are good defenders looking at Englands (or even Chelseas) no of clean sheets over the last year or two by that ridiculous stance. And Torres can't be an international standard striker because he's not scored at that level for years. It's simplistic opinions like that which mean i can make the quick and easy decision not to pursue a conversation with some fat, old **** in a pub who wrongly thinks he understands even the basics of football. I'm almost looking forward to C Cole/Bent/Defoe etc being eaten alive by mediocre defenders for the next 5 years.

[dandannieldanok]

It's simplistic opinions like that which mean i can make the quick and easy decision not to pursue a conversation with some fat, old **** in a pub who wrongly thinks he understands even the basics of football.

Go on then.....tell us the basics of football (and particularly the basics for a good striker) for us fat, old **** who disagree with your opinion.

[Corky]

Well he's gone from the international scene now, so all these much better strikers he kept out can step up and show what we missed at the finals

[sdb]

Go on then.....tell us the basics of football (and particularly the basics for a good striker) for us fat, old **** who disagree with your opinion.

Ok well a good one to start with, is play a balanced team. This (take a breath) often means not playing the 11 most technically gifted players, but a side that possesses strength, experience, good arial ability, smart movers off the ball, providing another passing option ect, AS WELL as quick, direct, skillfull, youthfull attributes.

It's an argument that i'm sure everyone's sick of hearing but look at how Rooney/Owen have done for England with and without Heskey (and the team as a whole) and it's quite apparent he makes a positive difference to the side. When have Diouf and Baros and Clinton Morrisson and Amir Zaki and other poor strikers ever looked good in the prem, other than when alongside Heskey?

I don't deny he was poor last season but he earnt his place in the England squad throughout qualifying (and that he wasn't near the side during dismal WC 2006 and McClaren's time (bar 2 games, both 3-0 wins).

[dandannieldanok]

Ok well a good one to start with, is play a balanced team. This (take a breath) often means not playing the 11 most technically gifted players, but a side that possesses strength, experience, good arial ability, smart movers off the ball, providing another passing option ect, AS WELL as quick, direct, skillfull, youthfull attributes.

What about Spain? For me they're not a balanced side, they don't play with any natural width because the manager simply puts the best players in and will accommodate them no matter what. I know England can't do this because we don't have the players but Spain have proved the best players, no matter where on the pitch = success.

It's an argument that i'm sure everyone's sick of hearing but look at how Rooney/Owen have done for England with and without Heskey (and the team as a whole) and it's quite apparent he makes a positive difference to the side.

No recent results back that up though, and I'm talking results in games with a higher degree of difficulty than qualifiers against the likes of Andorra and Belarus. Rooney would play well alongside Akinibiyi (who had a better goalscoring record for Leicester than Heskey did for England by the way) against the nobodies we faced in qualification.

If you're talking about performances before and during World Cup 2002 where Heskey teamed up with Owen then yes I agree he deserved his place, I've said that countless times. Since then though England have been pretty dismal, dismissing the theory that Heskey brings the best out of our higher profile players. As you point out, he wasn't a part of certain failures this decade which is a fair fact, but what I'm trying to say is that this guy has had no positive effect since his peak in 2002.

I don't deny he was poor last season but he earnt his place in the England squad throughout qualifying (and that he wasn't near the side during dismal WC 2006 and McClaren's time (bar 2 games, both 3-0 wins).

Well he didn't earn his place going by Capello's criteria of "you must be playing and in form for your club", but that's the manager's fault.

[sdb]

What about Spain? For me they're not a balanced side, they don't play with any natural width because the manager simply puts the best players in and will accommodate them no matter what. I know England can't do this because we don't have the players but Spain have proved the best players, no matter where on the pitch = success.

I'd say Villa and Ramos did a lot of good, attacking work out wide, despite their natural, more central positions (granted we don't have players of that quality, but i think that backs up my point more than anything). Silva and Navas came in pretty handy at times too.

No recent results back that up though, and I'm talking results in games with a higher degree of difficulty than qualifiers against the likes of Andorra and Belarus. Rooney would play well alongside Akinibiyi (who had a better goalscoring record for Leicester than Heskey did for England by the way) against the nobodies we faced in qualification.

If you're talking about performances before and during World Cup 2002 where Heskey teamed up with Owen then yes I agree he deserved his place, I've said that countless times. Since then though England have been pretty dismal, dismissing the theory that Heskey brings the best out of our higher profile players. As you point out, he wasn't a part of certain failures this decade which is a fair fact, but what I'm trying to say is that this guy has had no positive effect since his peak in 2002.

Nobody could've saved Rooney during this WC. He just didn't turn up and no change in personnel around him was gonna change that. Defoe and Crouch (in his limited time) didnt. Heskey was awsome v Croatia (probably better than 3 of the 4 opponents we faced in SA) when we won 4-1 and 5-1. He battered their defence from pillar to post. I also thought he was one of our best players v USA, and whilst awful in the 2nd game, he was par for the side imo. He was excellent with Owen post 2002 in the few games they played togehter.

Well he didn't earn his place going by Capello's criteria of "you must be playing and in form for your club", but that's the manager's fault.

Agreed, but who in that world cup squad had a good season - i can count Cole, Hart, Dawson, Rooney, Lennon and Lampard. Can't think of any others (Defoe 1st half only).